Iran denies involvement in killing of 3 US troops on Syria-Jordan border

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - Iran has dismissed claims of its involvement in the killing of three US soldiers in the border region between Syria and Jordan on Sunday, saying it “does not interfere” in the decisions of regional groups.

In a statement Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said “resistance groups” in the West Asian region “do not take orders” from Tehran for their actions.

Iran “does not interfere” in the decision-making of these groups on “how to support the Palestinian nation or defend themselves and their country from aggression and occupation,” he added.

Three US soldiers were killed and 30 others injured in a drone attack late on Sunday targeting a small American military outpost in Jordan, US officials said.

It marked the first time since Oct. 7 that American troops were killed in the attacks carried out by Iraqi groups, prompting strong reactions from top US officials, including President Joe Biden.

Biden vowed to hold those involved in the attack “to account,” claiming that it “was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”

Tehran, however, immediately denied any involvement in the attack. The state-run news agency IRNA cited the country’s permanent mission to the UN as saying that Iran had no hand in it.

Earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of militias, in a statement claimed responsibility for “a number of targets along the Jordan-Syria border, including Al-Rukban camp, which is in close proximity to the US military outpost Tower 22.

Kanaani, dismissing the US claim, said Iran “monitors developments in the region with readiness and vigilance” and warned that the responsibility for the consequences of “provocative accusations” lies with those making the “baseless claims.”

The spokesman said Tehran has repeatedly warned about the “danger of expanding the scope of the conflict in the region” amid continued Israeli attacks on Gaza, as well as the “support of the US for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”

“The war in Gaza is not the solution and ending the attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza and an immediate cease-fire can be the basis for the return of peace to the region,” he added.